Full Circle
by David Knight
Summary: In order for Filgaia's future to survive, it will need help from its Past. Set during WA3. (Chapters 1-4 Revised and Added Voices)
1. The Last of the Chasers of Dreams

**Disclaimer:** _I do not own Wild Arms. This is the first in my series that will tie all of the games together. If you want to contact me you can email me at ericpaladin@hotmail.com_

**Full Circle  
By David Knight**

**Chapter 1: The Last of the Chasers of Dreams**

_How long does time last for? What can pass for only a minute could feel like hours. Or days go by and yet it feels like only a few minutes ago._

_Perception is part of time and time perceived by the thoughts of others._

_So what happens when time is taken away from someone? What happens when fate decides to take a different route?_

_How long does one have before destiny catches up to him or her?_

* * *

__The skies look as brought as they always do.__ Rudy Roughnight smiled as he continued his climb up the mountain, just as he had always done so many times before. __Fifteen years since me, Jack and Cecilia took out the Metal Demons... and speaking of years it has been years since I have seen either of them. Should I..._ _Shaking his head, he knew that to be an impossibility. 

__What am I supposed to do? Go say 'Hi Cecilia. Hi Jack. How's life treating you? How's your families doing?'_ _Rudy wasn't bitter with his friends. It was just one simple fact that he hated about himself.

He still looked like he was eighteen. 

That was his curse as a Holmcross. He would never age. His friends would get older while he remained looking the same. He realized that the last time he saw them four years ago. They weren't ugly, they weren't old... but they looked older than he did. Rudy didn't want to feel the pain... he didn't want them to feel anything to him.

__But if I am doing this... then why the hell am I even still keeping myself alive?__ Rudy asked himself as he continued his climb. He didn't even have to look at the cliff to know where to climb. He had long since memorized the entire of the face of the cliff. 

Upon reaching the top, he looked back over the water, at the last rays of the sun, and where the light glinted off of a shard of metal that dangled across a grave marker made in the shape of a cross. 

"Father... I know I was made for war, but there is no war now. What purpose to do I have now?"

"Your purpose is to die." 

Once he heard the cold and dark voice, Rudy spun around to look at a figure that came into being. It looked like an armored person... but it wasn't metal at least it didn't look like real metal. The being's armor was black, blacker than any midnight sky Rudy had ever seen but there were lines of red all around the armor, a red like a deep scarlet, the color of blood. A black helmet covered its face, with a red visor over its eyes. Lastly it wore a blood red cape. 

Finally Rudy spoke, "Who... or what are you?"

"The Blaze of Destruction. This is my present form, I will evolve further... but it is more than enough to destroy you, Rudy Roughnight." 

Rudy narrowed his eyes as he looked at the being that wanted his head. "You should know that is not going to be as simple as you think it is going to be."

"Of course. You might have a bit _more_ strength then I give you credit for... but you will still be massacred." The Blaze of Destruction laughed cruelly at the young Dream Chaser. ****

Rudy didn't even waste any time when he saw the Blaze of Destruction come at him. He reached for his Hand Cannon ARM, and fired. However to Rudy's shock, the Blaze of Destruction simply deflected the projectile grenade aside.  ****

"No way!" Rudy exclaimed. He couldn't even remember a Metal Demon doing that. Maybe taking the shot like it was nothing, which had happened, but never _deflecting_ a shot from any of his ARMs. 

"Is that all the strength you posses, Rudy Roughnight?" the Blaze of Destruction sneered as a sword materialized in his hands, its blade glowing an evil crimson in the night sky. Reflexively, Rudy drew out the Divine Blade to clash with the Blaze's sword strike, but Rudy was finding out the Blaze was not only the superior swordsman but was also stronger than he was. 

"What are you? Another Metal Demon?!" Rudy shouted at his enemy.

The Blaze apparently took offense from his comment. "Don't even classify me with those pathetic beasts! I am a darkness you cannot even begin to fathom!" the Blaze sneered, "I admit this is entertaining, but I can't spend my entire day having fun with you."

"You think this is fun... then try this!" Rudy spat as he took a risky gamble to get to his Phazer ARM with his left hand, while using his right to hold back The Blaze's Sword. Upon grabbing it, he fired it right at the Blaze's head sending him backwards and to the ground. "Yes!" 

However, his cheers were short lived as he saw the Blaze of Destruction rising from the ground, showing no signs of damage. ****

"No way... that was a direct hit... you shouldn't even have a face!" Rudy gasped in disbelief.

"Now do you understand? When I said it was your purpose to die, I meant it!" the Blaze chuckled sinisterly as he vanished into thin air.

"Where did he--" Rudy's sentence was suddenly cut short as he felt a blinding pain from his chest. 

The reason why was very painfully obvious. 

As he looked down, Rudy saw the Blaze of Destruction's sword was protruding from hischest. When the Blaze slid it out of his chest, Rudy fell to his knees, his entire body screaming "Bloody Murder" from the pain. 

He looked up to see the Blaze looking down at him smugly, "The great Rudy Roughnight. The last of the Holmcross...what is so special about you? What makes you think a machine ever had a chance against a force such as I?"

"... why... are you doing this...?" Rudy gasped.

"It's quite simple really... to burn Filgaia to the ground!" The Blaze of Destruction laughed with malevolence. 

"...n... no..." Rudy groaned as he desperately attempted to reach for another of his ARMs but the he had left most of them in the vault under his home, he was in no condition to use the Wild Bunch ARM, and the Prism Laser would have no effect on him if the Phazer had done nothing. He felt the Blaze of Destruction picking him up by the throat, punching him repeatedly in his chest as if to add insult to Rudy.

"I will do you a merciful favor," The Blaze of Destruction sneered. "Your friends Jack Van Burace and Cecilia Adlehyde will feel nothing when I slay them." 

"Bastard!" Rudy screamed, as he pulled all that he had left to swing a punch right at the monster's head. The Blaze didn't so much as flinch. Though it did no physical damage to him, the Blaze of Destruction was not pleased.

"Do you not know when to give up you foolish worm?" the Blaze growled.

"I... will never... give up..." Rudy growled.

"Then carry on that belief..." the Blaze of Destruction said as his chest plates opened up and a glow of energy began to emerge. "... into the darkness!" A beam of energy flashed from the Blaze and engulfed Rudy. The sheer force of the blast sent him flying far off before a crash could be heard. 

"And so it begins," the Blaze of Destruction sneered as he raised his hand and Rudy's home was suddenly on fire. The Blaze of Destruction enjoyed what he did and threw his head back, giving off a cruel laugh. 

A laugh that carried itself through the night.

* * *

In the forest below Rudy laid on the ground, unable to move. He was not yet dead but was loosing strength fast.

__So... this is what it is like to die...__ Rudy grimaced. __But... that... that thing... he will destroy Filgaia... kill my friends... after everything I have gone through, that we have gone through... it will end in fire? It can't be! I won't let it be!__

***Do you desire this above all else?***

"What?" Rudy blinked as he looked forward.

***Don't strain yourself by speaking. Just think your thoughts and I will hear them. I ask you again... do you desire to live so that you can save Filgaia?***

__Who... are you?__ Rudy asked.

***Come now. You tell me you can't recognize my presence?***

A being shimmered into Rudy's view. The first thing he realized was it wasn't even a person it was a wolf. 

A female wolf. 

Her fur was contrasting of dark blue and white with a couple streaks of pink. The texture of the fur appeared like flames. She had horns around her neck, which were a gold color. She also had three claws on each foot, which were the same color as her horns. Metal cuffs were decorated around the ankles, and these were the same color as the horns and claws, which were part of her armor. 

__L... Luceid?_ _

***Yes.***

Rudy couldn't believe it; he couldn't believe that he was seeing a being he thought was gone for good. __What... what are you doing here? I mean, I thought you were still with Boomerang?__

***You killed him back in the Arena, remember? He's now between Heaven and Hell, awaiting to see what the Higher Powers decide to do with him.* **

__There are higher powers than the Guardians?__ Rudy attempted to gasp, but found himself coughing up blood instead. The Guardian of Desire shook her head, though to Rudy it was as if she was rolling her eyes. __What do you want with me?__ ****

***Your Desire is what called to me and it is not a surprise to me. After all you, a machine, called out to Zephyr. You were able to make him respond to you.***

__Where the hell are all of the Guardians now when we need them! The Blaze of Destruction will...__ Rudy started but Luceid cut him off.

***Lord Blazer is an enemy not even we Guardians can oppose directly. He is worse than the Metal Demons... but steps have been taken to defeat Lord Blazer.***

__What steps?__

***That is not for you to know for you do not have a role in this part of history.*** Luceid thought/spoke. ***Know that Filgaia will be saved from Lord Blazer by another.***

__What about Jack and Cecilia? Will they be safe?!__

***Their lines will be preserved.***

__That was not my question!__ Rudy growled at the Guardian. He wanted a straight answer from her. He wanted to know what was going to happen to his friends. __Tell me! Does the Blaze of Destruction kill them or not!_ _

Luceid refused to speak but Rudy took that to be answer enough. __Why! Why do they have to die like that!?__

***I am not God. I don't make the rules on Creation. Remember that well boy.*** Luceid returned sharply.

__So...why are you even here?__ Rudy asked.

***Your desire to save Filgaia is strong... VERY strong.* **Luceid told Rudy, ***Filgaia will be saved from the threat of Lord Blazer... but there will come another threat to the planet. One worse than Lord Blazer.***

__Worse?__ Rudy exclaimed in disbelief. After seeing how powerful Lord Blazer was, he couldn't even conceive the possibility that there could be something worse than him.

***The Filgaia of the future yet to come will need strong people. People who know the past as if they have lived it if the future is to survive.*** Luceid told him. ***What I am about to give you is a one time only deal and you should know the Guardians had to do much and convince the forces higher then them to allow this.***

__What?_ _

***You have two options. You can allow us to place you in to suspended animation magically while your wounds are healed and you will be woken up at the appropriate time... or refuse and you will just die here and now. You don't have time to think about this. It is either yes or no.***

For a moment, Rudy thought that Death would be the appropriate choice... but then he thought of the Blaze of Destruction and of this newer stronger threat that he was being told about in the future. If there was anyway, even it was just a small way that he could help save the planet, it would at least bring a purpose to a life he had though had no purpose.

__Yes... I accept your terms.__ Rudy answered her. Suddenly a flash of light came to his left glove and he saw a rune appear: The Life Rune.

***Odoryuk will heal your wounds and now I shall place the spell that shall place you into suspended animation. When you awaken, it will feel like only a minute has passed but in reality, many years will have passed on Filgaia.* **Luceid looked at Rudy seriously and wanted to make this absolute, ***Are you ready?***

__Just promise me one thing... give Lord Blazer hell...__ Rudy requested of Luceid.

Luceid chuckled at that as she saw the spell taking effect. Rudy became motionless, as if he was asleep. A crystal pyramid formed around him and then disappeared. ***See you in the future... Dream Chaser...***

* * *

The passage of time is vast and quick. Time passed on through out Filgaia. The Blaze of Destruction left his mark upon the planet, turning much of its green into ash, but true to Luceid's words to Rudy, Lord Blazer was defeated. It was not an army or an incredible magical spell. In the end, the Blaze of Destruction was defeated by a single girl who was known only as the Sword Magess, who came to battle wielding a mysterious weapon known as Argetlahm, which is called the Guardian Blade in the language of the Guardians.

Luceid herself accompanied the Sword Magess and helped her... or rather Lucied had helped her. As the Guardian of Desire, Luceid was genderless and the true spelling of the Guardian's name was Lucid, preferring to remain genderless unless he/she was accompanying one who was filled with great desire. When he/she did accompany someone that was when the added 'e' was used. When accompanying a man, Lucid was a female wolf and went by the name Luceid... but if Lucid was accompanying a woman, the Guardian of Desire was had the form of a male wolf and was called Lucied.

A thousand years would pass before Lord Blazer would try again to destroy the planet and once again he was defeated, this time by a group of six warriors who would not allow him to be restored to life.

Another thousand years passed and yet the acts of Lord Blazer though were not without consequence. The two millennia that have come to pass since he first appeared have caused the planet to become a shadow of its former self. Much of it has become a wasteland. Dream Chasers are forgotten, in their places are Drifters, people who soar high and free, looking for their path, never being held down to one place. 

This is the time when a new evil would be unleashed. A force is starting to stir and the time is coming. Champions have already been rallied. Four Drifters who had nothing in common, except a chance meeting with one another.

Yet their obtaining of the Arc Scepters and of the Guardians will have an effect that was destined to happen long before they were ever born.

* * *

In the Village of Baskar, Halle Caradine felt her grandson and those three others pass their tests. They had awakened the Guardians and had obtained their Mediums. __They truly are the ones that have been spoken of. All that remains now is to see...__

Her body froze as she felt a new surge. It was like that of the Guardians but different... and connected with the awakening of the four Guardians of Earth, Wind, Water and Fire.

__What can this mean? What was that?__ Halle wondered.

* * *

In a mountain not far from Baskar, a part of the cliff started to open up, revealing an entrance to a cave. In this cave was a glowing white pyramid of energy. Inside of that pyramid was a figure, floating in midair, seemingly sleeping. 

The figure that had been inside woke up, his eyes opening slowly. At that moment, the Pyramid that had been his bed for the past two-thousand years dissipated into nothingness and he fell to the floor, standing. Looking himself over, he saw that his injuries had been healed. Smiling, he walked out of the cave and when he saw the sun shining down upon him he knew it had finally happened.

"It's about time." Rudy Roughnight smirked.

_To Be Continued..._


	2. Future Shock

**_Disclaimer:_**_ I do not own Wild Arms. If you want to contact me you can email me at ericpaladin@hotmail.com. Feel free to leave a review. Look forward to hearing what you think of the story so far._

**Full Circle  
By David Knight**

**Chapter 2: Future Shock**

The first thing Rudy thought after an hour of being awake was wondering why the Guardians had put him down in a virtual desert. __If they were going to wake me up, you would think they would at least have me in a forest or maybe close to a town. Instead I wake up in the middle of no where.__ Rudy shook his head.

He had a run in with a few monsters but they were considerably weak; A couple of Balloons, which looked like they had evolved since the last time he had ever seen one. These Balloons actually had faces. There were also a few groups of small green dwarves, which just grunted a whole lot. 

__Not much for conversation.__ Rudy mused ruefully. __What am I doing? I won't have been healed and woken up if there wasn't something really terrible on the horizon.__ He looked up at the sun high in the sky. __I just wish I knew what was going on.__

* * *

Up on a cliff, Janus Cascade looked down and saw what he was waiting for. "Finally. The Princess and her friends are leaving the village. We'll wait until they go through the canyon before we move." 

"And then we ambush them?" Dario asked his boss.

"No you idiot!" Janus snapped at him. "We're going to go into Baskar!"

"Huh? But why?" Romero asked, not knowing the reason why they should go down there to Baskar.

"Because those villagers might know where to find more Arc Scepters or where the rest of the Guardians are," Janus said with grin on his face. "I really need this boys." Looking back down, he saw the four Drifters he had been spying on had gone through the canyon. "Okay, they're through the canyon. Let's go boys." As they walked, Janus hoped he got results.

Otherwise it could be his head.

* * *

Rudy sheathed the Divine Blade after taking down another group of Balloons. He didn't want to use his ARMs and waste his precious ammo on such weak monsters.

"If I don't find any signs of life other than Balloons I think I might just go nuts," Rudy muttered as he continued walking. He looked over the horizon, at the cliffs surrounding him and sighed. It looked like it would take forever for him to find any settlement of any kind. Though he wasn't too worried about water and food, a Holmcross could go for days on end without need of nourishment—he was starting to worry about the heat. Even a mechanical being like himself could take only so much of the elements. 

After a short distance, he found a signpost. When he read it, he smiled. __Yes! Baskar Village isn't that far from here! It might be out of the way from other towns but at least I can get some idea of what's going on in Filgaia.__ He stood up straight as he heard a sound. When he turned around he saw a contingent of Balloons, somewhere in the number of ten to fifteen. 

"Screw it. I don't have the time to fight you one on one," Rudy said emotionlessly as he pulled out his Prism Laser ARM, locked on, and fired. The Balloons all died instantly once hit by a blast from his ARM. 

After holstering his ARM, Rudy turned south and started walking. After a short while thought he could finally see the village. A smile crossed his face, "Baskar Village. It looks as peaceful as I--"

The sounds of ARMs firing off and a blast that came from inside the village cut him off.

"Spoke too soon. The Baskar people wouldn't use ARMs... someone's causing trouble..." Rudy concluded as he pulled out his Hand Cannon ARM from his side. Without saying another word he started running for the village. Whoever was behind this was going to have some new problems. 

Namely, the business ends of his ARMs.

* * *

The person in question was none other than Janus Cascade. He had gotten into Baskar and with Dario and Romero had rounded up all of the villagers together. Right now he had his Bayonet ARM out pointed at the villagers. Dario and Romero also had their ARMs out, ready to pull the triggers if someone dared to make a wrong move.

"Which one of you is the elder?" Janus asked.

"I am.," Halle spoke up, standing firm and disliking immediately the three Drifters that had barged into their town.

"Grandmother," Shane started but she hushed him as she looked at Janus. "What do you want?"

"What do I want... hmm?" Janus asked with a grin, "Well Grandma, what I want are the Arc Scepters and I want to know where I can find the Guardians."

"I'm sorry young man, but the Arc Scepters are gone and the Guardians appear only to those that are worthy of facing them." Halle told him, her voice betraying no sense of fear.

Janus scoffed. "Ha. Look old woman. I know you people like keeping your trade secrets, and normally I would be inclined to allow you to have them," Janus said, though starting to feel irritated on the inside by the old woman, "But I don't have that luxury now." Looking at his cohorts, they got the message and set their ARMs. 

"You think threatening us will change anything?" Halle asked.

"Oh I don't think," Janus sneered as aimed his own ARM at Halle, "I know. Now tell me what I want to know or I promise you people will get hurt."

"That's enough!"

"Huh?" Janus blinked as he turned around and looked to face the person who had just interrupted him from 'getting' information from the old woman. He saw the person wearing a red sleeveless jacket, a white shirt under it, and blue pants. He wore a long red bandanna and had blue hair, both of which waved with the wind that started to pick up. His eyes were the same shade of blue as his hair. __Heh. Not bad. This guy has nice fashion sense... but other than that he's definitely a fool.__ "And who the hell are you?"

* * *

Rudy was immediately disgusted with this man in a red jacket, black shirt and light blue pants. His hair was light blue and had red eyes. The reason why Rudy knew that man was the cause of this was the fact that he pointing a very long weapon, one Rudy had never seen before, at an elderly woman. Rudy also figured the other two men, a blonde haired man in blue with a bandana and another man in brown and white wearing a cowboy hat, were with the blue haired man. He looked right at him when he spoke. "The people of Baskar are pacifists, not fighters." 

"So? Is that supposed to mean something to me?" the blue haired man cocked his head to the side. "Look, if these people give me trouble by not giving me what I want then I make them give me the results I want. I am the best at what I do, after all."

Rudy just smirked, "Well if you are trying to prove your Filgaia's biggest jackass then I think you've got that won hands down."

"What?!" the blue haired man shouted in shock and disbelief. "What did you call me!"

Rudy, completely unmoved by the man's outburst, shifted his stance and looked at the blue haired man with daggers in his eyes.

"I don't have the patience to deal with someone like you," Rudy continued, "And quite frankly, I'm not in the mood for trying to negotiate with a possible sociopath. So either leave, or try to shut me up."

The man's two cronies just stepped back as they saw their boss' fists tightening around his weapon. They hadn't seen him get this angry before.

"You... are you challenging me to fight? Just what kind of Drifter do you think you are to take on Janus Cascade!"

Rudy blinked. "... 'Drifter'?"

Now it was Janus and his cronies' turn to be confused. They just stared at Rudy, not believing what he had just said. "What... how the hell can you not know what a Drifter is? Just who are you anyway?"

"I'm a Dream Chaser," Rudy answered casually. However, he just felt confused when he saw Janus and his friends laughing at him.

"'Dream Chaser'?!" Janus laughed hard. "What kinda corny made up title is that? I mean, where did you get it from?" Turning to one of his cronies, he asked him, still laughing, "Hey Dario! Ever hear such a dumb title?"

"Nope. What about you Romero?" the blonde, Dario chuckled.

"Never in my life," the last man, Romero snickered.

__Okay... now I'm getting a little more worried. No one knows what a Dream Chaser is anymore? How in Filgaia is that even possible?__ Rudy asked himself.

"Okay, now I know you aren't someone I should worry about," Janus sneered as he decided to go back to the old woman. "Now tell me where to get the Guardians."

"You will never be able to get them," she firmly told the Drifter, staring him down. 

"Fine. Don't say I didn't give you a chance when you feel the pain," Janus smirked sinisterly as he raised his Bayonet up to attack.

It never got the chance to even go down.

"Funny, I was about the say the same thing," Rudy stated as he held Janus' hand back with a strong grip from one of his own. A smile crossed Rudy's face and with a grunt threw him over his shoulders. Janus flew and landed near the entrance to the village.

"Boss!" Romero shouted, running to him.

"Boss you okay?" Dario asked his boss, sounding a little concerned.

"Shut up!" Janus growled as he got up, waving his cronies away from him. When he was standing fully up right, Janus stared down Rudy, "Oh now you are really asking for it. Boys."

"Right!" Dario and Romero nodded as they pulled out their weapons.

Rudy just smirked at them all. "So, you guys can sync with ARMs. Interesting."

__Huh? 'Sync with ARMs'?__ Janus thought to himself. __What does he mean by that? ARMs can be used by anyone. They're just weapons._ _

"Let's see how well you do against me," Rudy said as he pulled out his Hand Cannon and let out a shot, aiming for between them, causing them to scatter. 

When Janus saw the crater that had been made from that shot, his eyes went wide, __No way! There isn't an ARM that compact that can cause that kind of damage!_ _After witnessing that display of power, Janus knew he wanted that ARM no matter what. 

"Now I'm going to tell you again," Rudy said firmly to the three Drifters, leering them down and putting more forcefulness into his next words. "Get out of this village before you get hurt."

"Buddy boy, I don't know who you are but that's a fine looking ARM you got..." Janus grinned. "And I want it. Okay, boys. We don't have time to play with the fools that crosses us today. I want his ARM. Go for the Trinity!"

"'Trinity?'" Rudy blinked but that was all he got before he saw all three villains stand together and flash in light before disappearing. "What? Where did they..." Suddenly Romero attacked him from behind with an ax handle to the back of his head, Dario followed up with a gut shot and uppercut. Finally, Janus came down to attack Rudy, hitting him with the blunt side of his Bayonet blade, sending him in the air. Before Rudy landed, Janus fired off a shot from his ARM and when Janus landed there was an explosion. 

"And that takes care of him," Janus smirked, feeling very satisfied with what he did.

"Um hey boss, doesn't this mean you just blew up that ARM you wanted from him?" Romero asked.

"What...? You mean he didn't let go of it when you two hit him?!" Janus spun around to look at his cronies. "You didn't take it from him with you blindsided him!"

"No... I mean he didn't let go of it," Dario shook his head.

"Morons! Dammit! Now maybe I shouldn't have used that high round blast on him..." Janus mused. "Well, maybe there's an off chance the ARM did survive the blast. Some are pretty durable." 

"I don't believe you!" Shane shouted in disgust, getting the Drifters' attention. "How can you act so casual about what you have just done!"

Janus shrugged and smirked at him. "What can I say, he was just a weakling."

"And you're a very arrogant fool."

"What?!" Janus whirled around and looked into the dying fire and smoke from the explosion. Dario and Romero were in front of him with their ARMs out. The two were shaking a little bit. From the point of the attack, arose Rudy from the ground, seemingly unhurt, save for a bit of blackened skin. The expression he displayed was not at all pleased.

"No way... how can he be standing after a Trinity at pointblank range?" Dario asked himself aloud in disbelief.

"This has gone on long enough," Rudy hissed. "I won't allow you to endanger any of the innocent people here any longer..._It's over!_" he screamed as he drew the Divine Blade. 

Suddenly, he rushed through the smoke and as he did a red beam of light shot forward going right between Romero and Dario, but when Rudy went between them, he hit them with enough force to send them to the ground hard. Janus barely got out of the way of the beam in time. He looked forward, his eyes wide with shock before he turned around to look at Rudy holding the Divine Sword in his right hand. Some sort of strange glove covered his hand.

"Wha... what the hell was that...? What did you do?" Janus gasped, not believing what he had just witnessed.

Rudy didn't turn around to face Janus for a few moments, but when he did, his blue eyes were narrowed and Janus felt like he was aiming an ARM at him, "...it's called the Wild Bunch ARM," Rudy spoke suddenly, answering Janus' question.

After a few more seconds of standing in shock, Janus shook his head to clear the cobwebs, his game face already back on, "Okay hot shot, let's see you take on my Bayonet!" Janus went to cock his weapon in position but suddenly realized it was no longer in his possession.

"Looking for this?" Rudy asked in a smug voice as he now holding Janus' weapon with only his left hand while he sheathed the Divine Blade.

__But... that's... impossible! No one can hold a Bayonet with just one hand... and he's acting like it's weightless!__ Janus stared in disbelief but then saw Rudy taking out his arm cartridges. "Hey! Those are my Shotweapon and MultiBlast shells! You know how much it cost me to get those!?"

"I really don't care," Rudy retorted. As he took another look at the shells he saw they had bullets in them. __You put bullet clips into these shells and they shoot out different powers..._ _He scrutinized over Bayonet again, more closely this time. __What is this? A multipurpose ARM? It must be if these shells are any indication.__

"Hey! Are you even listening to me?" Rudy heard Janus snap, brining him out of thought. "I just told you I want my weapon back! And when I get my hands on you, I am going to show you and this entire stinking town what it means to mess with Janus Cascade, the baddest Drifter of all Filgaia!" 

Rudy narrowed his eyes once more at Janus, "You disgust me. To think Dream Chasers have been replaced with lowlifes like you. The name 'Drifter' is a disgrace to memory of Dream Chasers if you are the standard for all 'Drifters'."

"What did you say?!" Janus growled.

"Oh... my head..." Dario groaned he started to get up. "Romero, you okay bro?"

"Just fine..." Romero nodded. Judging from his voice though, he didn't feel that way.

"Now you're going to get it pal," Janus declared, clenching his fists and felt ready to take this upstart on. 

Rising to his feet, Janus began to approach the Holmcross, but Rudy held out his hand, speaking in an authoritarian manner. "No. This is over now." 

"Excuse me?" Janus questioned cocking his head to one side, "Just how the hell do you figure that?"

"Simple," Rudy replied, "I'm going to give you and your friends to the count of five to get the hell out of Baskar and never come back... or else..."

"Or else what 'Dream Chaser'?" Janus sneered.

Rudy didn't speak. He just threw Janus' Bayonet into the air, pulled out his Phazer ARM, pulled the trigger, and to everyone's shock, obliterated the Bayonet in a burst of light energy. 

Rudy looked back at the shell-shocked villains with a look as cold as ice. "Or I swear I am going to use my Phazer to disintegrate you three."

"...you're bluffing..." Janus gasped, still in shock over the power of this new ARM he saw.

"You want to try me?" Rudy asked as he held his Phazer firmly aimed at Janus' head. "You have five seconds... Five... four... three... two..."

"Um, ah, I think we'll be on our way now...let's get the hell out of here boys!" Janus shouted, his voice showing a small amount of fear as he ran as fast as he possibly could.

"Hey Boss! Wait for us!" Dario and Romero screamed as they ran too trying to catch up to their boss.

"Good riddance," Rudy shook his head as he put his Phazer ARM away in his vest and turned to face the Villagers. All of them stared at him in shock and perhaps fear, something Rudy was accustomed to from the older days. He bowed his head down before speaking "... I'm sorry for any problems I have caused. I'll leave now." 

However as Rudy was about to leave he felt someone holding his arm back. He turned around to find that it was the old woman that Janus was going to have hurt. She was looking at the rune on his right glove. "Where did you get this boy?" she asked.

"It was given to me," Rudy returned, "Could you please let go of my hand?"

"This is the symbol of Life in the Guardians language. So I would like to know how you would have been able to imprison one of the Guardians." She said gruffly.

_"Imprison?!"_ Rudy broke away with force and stared the woman down. __What is this? First I save the entire town and now I get put on trial? I don't think so!__ "First off this is a Rune Stone, the essence of the Guardians, and second, Odoryuk was given to me by Luceid herself!" 

The woman stepped back looking at Rudy, __Impossible! He calls the Guardians by their names and in such casual manner, as if he knows them personally! But that's impossible... or is it...__ She looked into his eyes hard and carefully, __I can see no signs of deceit within him... could he be the one that I felt... the force that came right after my grandson and those other three obtained Guardians of the elements...__ Finally, she came to her verdict, "...forgive me. Some times even a wise old woman can make mistakes. You seem to be someone not knowing of the world today."

"That would be an understatement," Rudy sighed.

"Might we talk in my home? I would like to offer you at least a meal and information. It is the least we can do for what you have done young man. I'm Halle Caradine, the elder of Baskar and you are?"

Rudy relaxed and smiled lightly, "Thank you and my name is Rudy. Rudy Roughnight."

* * *

Rudy listened to Halle as she and Shane as well spoke about the Filgaia of today. Rudy had asked about Drifters. What he had learned was that they were just about the same as Dream Chasers, though there were angles in the Drifter code that were not part of the code of Dream Chasers. Angles that were reasons of why people like Janus Cascade and his thugs were around. However, there was not much more they could tell him as almost everyone in Baskar preferred to stay in their village and not go into the outside world. 

__The Wasteland...__ Rudy sighed. To hear how Filgaia's wilderness had become desert and continued to become desert was disheartening to him. After all the work, all of the sacrifices that were made to stop the Metal Demons, it had all been for naught, as Filgaia had degraded into what it was today.

"Now then...you said the Guardian of Desire gave you the Guardian of Life. How did that happen and why is it not like a regular Medium?" Halle asked.

"I don't have an answer to that question about why it doesn't look like the Mediums that you have explained to me," Rudy started to say as he tried to think of some way to explain all of this so that they wouldn't think he was crazy. Unfortunately he had nothing else but the truth, "But... this may sound insane... but..."

He still couldn't get the words out of his mouth. They were just too crazy for someone, let alone himself, to comprehend. So he was a former hero of the planet sent forward in time to save Filgaia once again? How mad was that? As he continued to search for a way to explain himself, Halle went on to do it for him. 

"You are not from this world are you?" Halle stated, "At least, not the Filgaia of today."

"What?" Rudy blinked. "How did you know?"

"Grandmother what are you talking about?" Shane asked his grandmother wondering just what she was getting at.

"When your brother and those three Drifters obtained the four Guardians of Earth, Air, Fire and Water, I felt it happen...but then I felt another awakening. Similar to what I had just felt," She looked to Rudy then, "It was you wasn't it?"

Rudy nodded, "There was a fight. I was severely injured. Luceid came to me, said that I could be able to help fight a darkness that was coming in a future time of Filgaia. I was given Odoryuk to heal my wounds and then they put into suspended animation, to be awakened at the proper time, which seems to be now."

"Then it would seem that I was right," Halle sighed. "Darkness is coming as I feared... but for what and who I do not know." 

"This is the same darkness you told my brother about?" Shane asked.

Halle nodded, grumbling, "We can only hope that foolhardy brother of yours will make the right choice." 

"Where was he heading?" Rudy asked the two Caradines.

"Huh?" Shane muttered.

"You intend to go looking for them," Halle stated. "Don't you?" 

"Given what you've just told me, it's safe to assume that your grandson and these three other Drifters were chosen by the Guardians and are their representatives to fight whatever is coming. They might not know it themselves yet, but they are chosen to fight this," Rudy said getting up, "And Luceid said I would be need to help fight it."

"I understand. Go west out of our village and then south of the Fallen Sanctuary until you see a set of train tracks," at Rudy's stare she replied, "You'll know what they are when you see them. Head west from there until you find the town Jolly Roger."

Rudy nodded and smiled to her, "Thank you for the information and the meal."

"If you are worried for us do not worry, no one bothers us. That brash Drifter was the first to try in a very long time." Halle told him.

"All the same, take care of yourselves." Rudy said.

"Tell my grandson Gallows that he had better not screw up," the old woman muttered.

Rudy smiled back as he walked out of the house. He was almost to the village entrance when he heard someone shouting from behind.

"Wait! Rudy, wait!"

"Huh?" Rudy turned around to see Shane running to him in his arms was a large bag. However he ended up tripping and fell to the ground. 

"Ouch..." Shane groaned as felt a bit of pain in his knees from the fall.

"You okay?" Rudy asked as he helped him up.

"Yes I am... but I thought you would need a few things," Shane said, indicating the bag he was carrying.

"I'm alright. I can take care of myself," Rudy told him. __Though I REALLY could use some bullet clips. I only have five left. The rest were in cabin.__

"Well, Gallows didn't take all of his ammo so I figured you could use it for your ARMs..." Shane said giving Rudy a case from the bag before looking back in it, "I also have some antidotes, heal berries, and medicines for you." 

Rudy opened the case and blinked when he saw what was in it. "These are eight piece bullet clips... and there's twenty five of them!"

"Yeah. Gallows took about fifty or sixty with him, so that's why there's so few," Shane said still looking in the bag. 

_"Sixty?!"_ Rudy exclaimed. "But ARMs are rare! And in order to use them you need to synchronize with them!"

Shane blinked as pulled his head out of the bag and looked quizzically at Rudy, "Why are you making such a big deal about ARMs.? They're just weapons. Anyone can use one." Shaking his head he went back to the bag. "Now where is it?" 

Rudy just froze in disbelief as he let that little bit of information sink into his head, __You have to be kidding me! ARMs aren't forbidden in Filgaia now! They are as common as swords! ... then again it would explain why it seems I'm the only person WITH a sword. It was kind strange that Janus AND his two buddies had ARMs. Just one would been plausible, but three ARMs users together in my time would have been an impossibility.__ Rudy sighed as he realized the obvious, __But then again this is no longer my time.__

"Here it is!" 

Rudy looked at Shane pulling out a very long case from the bag. Shane opened it up and Rudy saw what was in it, "Is that..."

"It's a Bayonet ARM. It's real old. Don't know how long really but its been in my family for ages," Shane said, "But no one in our family save for Gallows ever liked ARMs and he didn't like a Bayonet. I don't know if it even works at all but..." he saw Rudy take the Bayonet out of its case, opened the chamber, put a bullet into the Shot Weapon shell, inserted the shell into the Bayonet, after taking aim at a target several hundred yards in front of him, fired. 

The shot impacted on the cliff side. Rudy smiled as he saw it. The ARM worked just fine and despite being old, the blade was polished and clean, without a speck of rust on its surface. The rest of the Ancient Relic Machine, save for the area around the barrel, was scratched and chipped, but it did nothing to make it less attractive. In fact, Rudy began to take a liking to the ARM because of how the cuts and chippings gave it character. He smiled at his new, favorite weapon. 

"Looks like it works fine," He found the strap to be worn over his shoulder, and using it, slung it over his shoulder, and after a little adjusting had it in a way that he could get to it instantly and wouldn't interfere with him reaching for his other ARMs. "Thanks for the clips, supplies and the new ARM." 

"Could you do me a favor?" Shane asked as he handed to Rudy a smaller bag containing the medical supplies he mentioned. "Tell my brother to be careful. Well, when you see him, that is."

"I will. Take care Shane, and thank you." Rudy said as he attached the small bag to his belt. With that he walked out of Baskar Village.

__Take care of yourself Rudy Roughnight.__ Shane prayed for the last Dream Chaser of Filgaia.

* * *

Meanwhile, far away from Baskar, Janus had finally decided to stop running mainly because felt like it was on fire. His cronies were totally exhausted however.

"Oh boss, what are we going to do now?" Dario asked as he collapsed onto the ground along with Romero.

"Yeah...what boss?" Romero panted.

"Shut up!" Janus growled as he hit both of his flunkies in the head back of the head with his left fist. It didn't make him feel any better like he thought it would. "Dammit! I can't believe my rotten luck! What else can happen!"

_"You should know better than to wish for bad things to happen."_

Janus, Romero and Dario froze and became very, very afraid, Janus most of all as he heard that voice. "... Mister Alceste..."

_"Turn around Janus,"_ the voice spoke. They did and all they saw was a being of faded green light. _"I'm not particularly pleased with your progress."_

"Sir, if I could have a chance to explain..." Janus started to defend himself but Alceste cut him off. 

_"If you make one pathetic excuse Janus I will show you my mastery of over the ancient technology,"_ Alceste told him, his mood not at all pleased. _"Fact. You failed to obtain the Arc Scepter from the Train I sent you to rob from. Fact. You failed to obtain the Guardians of the Four Elements before they were awakened. And Fact... you attacked a civilian population! Are you out of your mind!? Attacking Baskar! What was is my main mandate for all my subordinates when undergoing a mission Janus?"_

Silence.

_"I am waiting."_

"... 'do not do something that will attract attention'." Janus started to say but then tried to defend himself, "But they could have had more Guardians or Arc Scepters. I could have gotten them to talk..."

_"Are you not even listening to me!"_ Alceste shouted.

"But Sir I would have gotten results at Baskar if it wasn't for this weirdo calling himself a 'Dream Chaser'. I mean what kind of name is..." Janus rambled on but stopped when he noticed something. He saw Alceste's face was totally frozen.

_"... what did you just say? What did this person call himself?"_ Alceste asked.

"...a Dream Chaser. That's what he called himself," Janus said. "Why? Does that mean something to you?"

_"... you have actually gotten something useful without even knowing it Janus."_ Alceste told him. He noticed Janus was without his weapon. _"Where is your Bayonet?"_

"Um... the Dream Chaser blew it to hell with this very strange ARM that shot out a blue beam of light." Janus admitted. Suddenly a glow of green appeared in front of him and a new Bayonet appeared. Janus took hold of it. 

_"It has all of your original shells and is fully loaded."_ Alceste told him. _"I am giving you one final chance Janus. I want the Eternal Sparkle and I want it now. You have seven days to show me that you have at least one of the shields. If you don't have even one of them... well I don't think I need to tell you what will happen."_

"...no sir." Janus replied.

_"Get moving. The clock is ticking,"_ were Alceste's final words before his image vanished.

Janus just stared at where Alceste's image had been for a bit until Dario shook him out of his stupor. "So are we screwed now boss?" 

"Shut up!" Janus spat, "By the Gunslinger why do these things always happen to me?! Why I can't I ever get a..." Suddenly, an idea began to form in his mind and a smirk came on his face. 

"Boss...?" Romero asked wondering what he was thinking.

"Let's get moving to Jolly Roger and meet up with that little Princess. I got an idea that will show my worth." Janus chuckled as he started walking south.

Behind him Dario and Romero had feelings of dread. __This cannot be good...__

* * *

Somewhere in Filgaia however, Janus' employer was brooding over what he had just learned.

__A Dream Chaser... an ancient term that hasn't been used in over a thousand years at least... he handled Janus like he was a weakling. That's a feat no Drifter could possibly do.__ Alceste pondered. He got up from his chair and decided he needed to consult the Library for more information. He didn't know who this unforeseen element was but who ever this 'Dream Chaser' was, he would learn that all people who dared to interfere in the plans of Leehalt Alceste would find themselves in a new world.

The Land of the Dead.

_To Be Continued..._


	3. The Lady of the Fast Draw

**_Disclaimer:_**_ I do not own Wild Arms. This is the first in my series that will tie all of the games together. If you want to contact me you can email me at ericpaladin@hotmail.com_

**Full Circle  
By David Knight**

**Chapter 3: The Lady of the _Fast Draw_**

The young woman was trying her hardest to run away. She had to get away this time or she knew that the monster would make things even worse for her. Blonde hair and blue eyes, she was a beauty, but she had definitely seen better days. Her life was hell and she was determined to escape it. She wished she could have taken her father's keepsake with her but the monster kept it with him, showing it to her only to mock and humiliate her.

__I don't care what happens now...I just want to be free... how can no one be brave enough to stand up to that monster after all of this time?__ She asked herself. ****

_*BANG!*_

__Oh no! They've found me!__ the girl cried to herself as she kept on running, trying to escape from this hell. If she could only get to another town, or at least out of the wastelands near the village, then she'd have a much better chance at gaining her freedom.

However, it would appear that the Higher Forces were not looking down upon her today. 

"Ahhhh--!!!" she screamed and all she saw then was darkness.

* * *

Moments later, several men came to an open ditch, which had been a camouflaged trap hole. Inside was the young woman trying to escape.

"Gotcha again you little jackrabbit," a portly fat man in beige clothing and a 10-gallon hat sneered as he turned around to his men, "Haul the brat out and let's head back to town. Butch will be glad to get that little brat back and pay us the bounty for her."

"Wonder what he'll do to her this time," one of them laughed.

"I think we all know what. Now get her out of that hole." the fat man sneered.

"Sure thing, Sheriff Marty."

* * *

Meanwhile a certain Dream Chaser unfortunately was having a stroke of bad luck himself.

__Now did they say east or west of the train tracks... or was south and then go north and then east... oh I knew I should have asked for a map!__ Rudy groaned as he mentally berated himself for getting lost. He here was, the last of the Holmcross, one of the three Dream Chasers to help destroy the Metal Demons, defeated Ziekfried three times.

And he couldn't even get anywhere without a map.

"Argh...can't I get a break?" Rudy groaned as he dropped his Bayonet and sat on the ground. There he sat, cradling his head in his hand while sitting with his legs crossed. Taking a look around the wilderness around him, he saw a broken signpost in front of him. It looked faded but Rudy could still read it. It didn't look too faded. Not as far as it being hundreds of years old, maybe just one, maybe two. ****

But it was what he read that made his eyes widen.

**Surf Village - Ten Miles South**

**Jolly Roger - Twenty Miles North**

__Surf... it still exists... and it's near Baskar?__ Rudy blinked as he looked at the sign post. Maybe a new town had been made up here and had the same name as a town that held some memories for him both pleasant and unpleasant. Still just the name plus the fact that it was closer for him to walk there than it was for him to walk to Jolly Roger was a plus. Also it was midday and common sense told him that it would be better to spend the evening there and start out for Jolly Roger in the morning.

Just one thing occurred to him though.

"... I have no money," Rudy groaned as he decided to fish through his pockets. He had the ammo clips but considering they were widespread they probably would be cheap to buy and probably just as cheap to sell. His medical supplies he would need and he wouldn't sell his ARMs even if all hell froze over. 

__... wait a minute!__ Rudy quickly fished in through his back pocket and found it. "Come on! please don't be cracked or ruined because of the fight with Lord Blazer!" Finding the pouch he opened it up and emptied into his palm. Purple and green dust came out first and Rudy cursed. "Shit! There go the emeralds and amethysts!" However his eyes locked onto the three small gems that came out, two diamonds and one ruby.

"Jack, thank you so much..." Rudy smiled remembering how Jack had given to him a small bag of priceless gems, saying it to be a way of thanking him for saving his butt all of those times and in case he ever needed gella. Living in the cabin in the mountains, Rudy didn't have any need for money. 

Now he did.

"Hope there's someone in there that can give me good enough of a deal on these gems...and not try to cheat me..." Rudy mused. Slinging his Bayonet back over his shoulder, he started to walk in the direction of Surf Village.

* * *

The young girl groaned as she started to wake up but found to her dismay that she was now in shackles and that two men were watching over her in the horse driven carriage they were in.

She tried to for back her tears. She knew what had happened. She had failed... and now she was be taken back to that hell. 

Back to Surf Village.

* * *

When Rudy entered Surf Village, he saw that it was very much like the Surf he remembered. Wooden houses and people outside. Not much had changed about the style of clothing either.

What he did notice was there something different about the people. For some, they looked haughty and confident. Others looked tired, fear underneath their emotional masks. As a Dream Chaser, he had seen so many people, gotten to know how some people hide their emotions or how some people had a darker nature within them. He could not judge on looks alone though. It was also the words, tone and actions of a person that allowed Rudy to know the type of person he or she was. Deciding to look around now, he spotted something that got his attention. An ARMs Dealer.

__Guess I'm going to have to get used to seeing ARMs being sold as normal weapons._ _Rudy shrugged as he walked into the ARMs shop. He looked around and saw a young man behind the counter. "Hello there."

"Yes. Can I help you Drifter?" the ARMs seller asked. He became concerned when Rudy frowned.

"I'm not a Drifter," Rudy stressed the not in his statement, making it clear that he didn't want to be confused with Drifters, especially after seeing what Janus Cascade and his two buddies were like. He walked up to the counter window and started to go toward the pouch on his belt while he spoke to the dealer, "Do you know where I can do approximations for selling items?"

"Doc Henesy is out of town for the week so the General Store is closed until he gets back," the man explained, "Can I interest you in anything though? If you were to buy something I could possibly give you a trade in though."

Rudy thought about what he said and found it strange that a General Store for a town would be closed for a week. __That is just really weird.__ he mused. He looked back at the ARMs seller, "You have any Bayonet Shells?"

"Bayonet Shells...hardly anyone uses a Bayonet these days... though I do have three types. MultiBlast, Shotweapon, and BoltAction." 

"BoltAction?" Rudy enquired.

"It allows the user of a Bayonet to drive into a shooting and slashing combination attack," the ARMs seller explained. "The shot stuns who, or whatever is hit by it, allowing the user of the Bayonet to get in a slash or stab. Costs about 4000 gella." ****

__4000!__ Rudy blinked as he looked at the man. Regaining his composure he asked, "How much you think you can give me for this?" Rudy pulled out one of the diamonds from his pouch and showed it to the ARMs seller, who took it from Rudy and studied it for a few long moments with a magnifying glass. After awhile, he came to his decision.

"5500."

__WHAT?! Jack said it could be worth maybe 10,000 at least!__ Rudy stared yet again at the man, however he also noticed something about him. It wasn't greed, but something else. __Still I need the money. 'Sides, 1500 will be enough for now and I get a new part to this ARM.__ "Alright. We have a deal."

After making the transaction Rudy left the store and the ARMs seller breathed. "Thank god that went well..."

"Matthew," a deep voice spoke from behind him.

The young man whirled around to see a man standing seven feet tall, wearing nothing but black. On his sides were two handgun ARMs. "Mr... Mr. Kane..."

"You are behind in your protection insurance..." Mr. Kane said with a smirk on his face as he went for one of his ARMs. "I think I told you what would happen if you were late again."

"Wait! I have the payment! This single diamond here! Its worth more than enough to cover everything that I owe you!" Matthew pleaded from his knees, holding it out gem for him to see. 

The man in black took the diamond and looked at while another person entered in from the back door. "Butch, the Sheriff brought back little brat for you."

Butch looked back toward his man before looking back at Matthew. "You're lucky I am in a good mood and my lady needed a nice gift. But remember, just thirty more days until your next payment is due, and this time...I give you no time extensions." he laughed as he walked out through the back with his cohort. ****

All Matthew could do was cry on his knees wishing that young girl had actually made it out of this hell that had once been their home.

* * *

As Rudy left the ARMs seller's building, he started walking around and after getting more of a feel of what this Surf was like; he wasn't exactly liking what he felt.

__Maybe I should just carry on and walk the thirty miles over to Jolly Roger,__ Rudy decided. __This town isn't very friendly and it just doesn't feel right to me._ _He was about walk out of town when he got pushed to the ground by a group of men who looked rather suspicious to him.

"Get out of our way chump!" one of them sneered as he actually kicked Rudy while he was down.

"Yeah! You're interfering with the Law!" Another laughed.

__The Law? You have GOT to be kidding me!__ Rudy stared in disbelief as he started to get up. Sure enough as he looked at this group of men, half of them were wearing outfits of bandits that Rudy had seen in his time and others were of lawmen by seeing their badges but they weren't like the one he was thinking about though. __Especially considering how rare they are.__ he smirked at that thought. However, he found nothing funny in the way he saw how two opposing groups were actually seeming very chummy with each other.

"Let go of me!" a female voice cried out.

The voice caught Rudy's attention as he saw that the group of men that had been calling themselves the law were practically manhandling her.

"Shut up brat!" one of the lawmen spat in her face before slapping her in her face and another shoved her down into the ground. 

__I don't believe this!__ Rudy's fists were clenched as he saw this scene being played out right in front of him. This wasn't justice, this was little more than bullying and domination. He looked at some of the people in town and saw that they had looks of sadness on their faces but then looked away and went about their business. 

__Now I know something isn't right...__ Rudy knew as he decided to look at the girl that was being taken away. She looked cute but also having gone through a bit of hell, her face was cut, dirty, scared and most of all, full of anger and pain. 

But it was what she was wearing around her neck that got his attention the most.

__I don't believe it! It's the Sword Rune! That was Jack's personal favorite!__ Rudy stared wide eyed at it and the girl who he saw trying to break free but couldn't against such numbers. His hands became fists as he glared at the men taking her away. __Looks like going to Jolly Roger is going to have to wait. I want to find out about that girl and why she has Jack's rune stone... and figure out what the hell is going on with this town.__

* * *

"Ouch!" the girl groaned as she was thrown into small room that she considered her personal hell. 

"Why don't you reflect on your stupidity you little brat? You should know better than to leave this safe little haven and go into the unknown hellish wastelands." The Sheriff sneered at her.

"You call yourself the law... you're nothing but a cheat and a liar," the girl spat.

"But he also follows my orders."

The girl and Sheriff Marty heard the deep voice and saw Butch Kane come in. "Get out, now. My men will come later to pay you." The Sheriff left and then Butch looked down at the girl. "I thought I told you never to try to escape you little brat," She saw that he was holding a leather whip in one of his hands.

"... I don't want your world..._Ahhh!"_ she screamed as she was whipped across her back by the man she despised.

"Your lousy daddy owed me much even after he died and you are going to pay for t heir debt just like everyone else in this town pays me respect and gella." Butch chuckled evilly at her, enjoying the pain he was inflicting on her.

"But out of fear you butcher..." the girl muttered as she was brought up to her feet when Butch put one of his massive hands around her throat and hauled her up. 

"I'm going to enjoy this," Butch grinned viciously as he used his other hand to repeatedly hit her over and over again. In the stomach or even in the face, it didn't matter to Butch. He enjoyed every moment of it. When he finally decided she had had enough, he let her go and she fell to the ground. "You're lucky your mother loves you. If she didn't, I would have killed you long ago." 

"I will not become your whore!" she screamed defiantly at her tormenter.

"You know what," Butch sneered as he left the cell for just a moment to bring something inside for her to see. It was a black ebony sword. "It's time to teach you a lesson in respect."

"No!" the girl cried out, "That's my father's sword! You don't have any right to it!" 

"Ha. What good is a sword in these days huh? It didn't work against me... then again, I did kill him in his sleep," Butch boasted. "Be glad you get to keep your clothes and that little stone... cause if you escape again I'll take both away! Now take a good long look at this sword... because today I am selling it at the auction!"

"No!"

"And if you escape again and when I bring you back, I'll sell that stone next and if you do it another time after that... well I am sure someone would want to have their own personal wench to please them for the rest of their lives." Butch laughed cruelly as he walked out and slammed the door shot.

As the girl hear him leave, she could only whisper in hate, "Butch Kane... I swear... I will kill you for the insult you have done to my family..."

* * *

After looking for a while Rudy couldn't find that girl but he knew that some of the people that he saw holding her captive were in the crowd heading toward a saloon. When he walked in he saw something of an auction going on. Going up to the bar he asked for a drink, though he didn't really need one. He just wanted to blend in with the crowd. 

"And now we have a really old outdated antique," The auctioneer said as his people pulled out a sword. 

Rudy's eyes went wide when he saw it. __That... that's the Black Feral!__

"What do I hear for this piece? Let's start the bidding at 10 gella." the auctioneer said casually.

__TEN GELLA?! That sword is for the leader of the Artica Knights! It was one of Jack's swords!__ Rudy gasped in shock. He kept hearing the bits being so low, it was if it was disgracing his friend's memory. He decided to end that insult. "50 gella!"

"50 gella! Do I hear 75 gella? Do I hear 100 gella?" The auctioneer went on.

"100 gella!" said someone else from within the crowd.

"I have 100 gella! Do I hear 125?"

"125 gella!"

"125 gella! Do I hear 150?"

Rudy couldn't take this anymore. If he didn't act fast and end the betting now, someone else might get it. "500 gella!" he shouted.

The crowd gasped and turned to him. Even the auctioneer looked at Rudy with a quizzical look. "We have...500 gella. Do I hear 525? 550?" No one else placed up a bet. "No? Going once...going twice...sold, to the young man with the bandanna!"

Rudy was given the sword by one of the representatives and he kept it in a case that he put over his shoulder. Right now though, he had some questions to ask and decided to wait until after the auction had ended. When it had finally come to an end, he noticed the auctioneer going to a rough looking man in black with a beard.

"What? Only 500 for that piece of trash!" Rudy could hear the angry scream. "Dammit! Well at least she'll never see it again!" 

Rudy looked up over at the Bartender who was a bit in fear of the men and only relaxed when they were gone. Rudy looked at him. "Who was that?"

"If I were you Drifter I would suggest getting out of Surf Village as soon as you could," the Bartender said solemnly, "This place has never been the same since Butch Kane came in five years ago." 

"Tell me about him," Rudy inquired, wanting to know just what kind of a human being this Butch Kane was.

"No one could ever prove it, but some say he killed the old marshal, then put one in that takes his orders. He's been running this town ever since. Two years ago, he killed a man in cold blood in this tavern but the sheriff said self-defense. From what I might add, the man was asleep," the bartender took a look around, then leaned in and whispered to Rudy, "Personally, I think the wife was in on it because the daughter, Miss Dianna Stampede, has tried to get out but that man keeps sending his own Drifters to get her and they keep on succeeding." The bartender then saw Rudy totally frozen, his face almost as pale as a ghost's. "Son you okay?" 

"...did you just her last name was Stampede?" Rudy asked in a quiet whisper.

"Yes... do you know her?"

"I knew one of her relatives," Rudy stated as he got up off of the stool he had been sitting on, "Where are the sheriff and Butch located in town?" ****

"Son didn't you hear a word that I said?!" the bartender exclaimed, "That man is a monster! He'll kill a young sprout like you easily! Hell, the man is even related that Janus Cascade and he's just as bad as he is."

"I know. He tried to kill the people in Baskar until I stopped him and his buddies."

"You what?!" the bartender gasped but even more so when Rudy opened his vest and showed the bartender the shiny object inside. It was something that in his time had given him the authority to act according the law and in this town the law was being broken. Something that only the best of the best could ever obtain. ****

The Sheriff's Star.

"I repeat..." Rudy looked at the bartender with narrowed eyes, "Where do I find them?" 

* * *

Meanwhile, the young girl woke up to the sound of the door opening up. She saw entering a haughty middle aged woman wearing a lavish dress, brown hair done up in an extravagant style. She looked down at the girl with a sneer on her face.

_*SLAP!*_

"Why do you keep defying me!?" the woman shouted.

"Because I won't be a slave..." the girl said.

_*SLAP!*_

"Never talk back to me you ungrateful little girl! I am your mother! You will address me as such!" ****

"Sorry..." the young girl said in a quiet voice, then raised the volume of her voice and added a venomous edge to it. "Margaret..."

_*SLAP!*_

Margaret stared at the girl down at the floor. "You're just as stubborn as your father was. Wanting to run free in the wastelands to be of help. He had skill to be something great."

"My father was a great man..." the girl said.

Margaret laughed, "Alex Stampede was a foolish man who allowed honor and compassion to cloud his reason. Only the strong survive in the world. I am strong... do you want to be weak for the rest of your life Dianna?"

The girl, Dianna just stared at the woman, "I would rather be as I am...then follow your rules."

_*SLAP!*_

Dianna fell the ground after that last slap. Margaret looked down at her. "I do this for your own good, child."

Dianna watched her leave and cried again, she wished her father was still alive... but she wanted also something more than that.

She wished she had a sword so she could kill them all.

* * *

"Well now... I think this here is quite a bit of gella," Sheriff Marty gleamed greedily as he and his deputies put their hands through the chest of gella that two of Butch's men had brought to him. He could barely contain his excitement at the sheer amount of gella that was inside.

"Mr. Kane wants to thank for all of the work you have done so far the last five years. After all, this is the fifth year of your permanent installment." one of Kane's lackeys chuckled.

"Yeah, it is. The people at Fort Tristan 're kept assured of the town bein' all peaceful...and it is, so long as Mr. Kane pays up," Sheriff Marty sneered.

"Speaking of the people... Mr. Kane has been thinking of having the people going into the Diamond Mines," another one of Butch's people told the Sheriff.

"Now, I can't be sendin' innocent people into doin' things they don't want ta do..." Marty said innocently. One of Butch's men threw a sack of gella to him. "... but I know even the innocent have some sort of a criminal past. I'll get ya at least ten workers real soon."

"I don't think so."

The sheriff and his thug deputies spun to see a young man standing in the doorway. He was dressed in a red vest, with a white undershirt and jeans, but the thing that caught their attention was the long fluttering red bandanna that he wore around his forehead. "Who the heck are you?" the Sheriff asked gruffly. ****

"Someone who has just witnessed criminal activity. Namely 'lawmen' taking money from known felons," Rudy said disgustedly, "Not to mention witnessing a transaction to enslave innocent people. You're all going down." 

As soon as he said that, the villains pulled out their ARMs and aimed them at Rudy. The Sheriff stood up from his chair and let out a gruff laugh. "You really are a stupid kid ain't cha? You know you're goin' ta die."

Rudy grinned. "Actually...no," he said calmly as he pulled out his Prism Laser ARM. Faster than they could see, he pulled the trigger and the blasts hit their ARMs, turning them into nothing more than useless, smoldering paperweights.

"What the..." one of the thugs gasped.

"And I thought Janus Cascade was bad... you guys... I don't know what to classify you people as," Rudy growled, as he felt sick just by looking at them. The Metal Demons had reasons for what they did and they weren't even human. But these humans he was looking at now, he didn't know what to classify them as. They didn't count as human beings in his book.

"W-who the hell are you?" One of Butch's men stuttered.

Rudy smirked as he showed the Sheriff Star off and it made all of them gasp and stare. 

__Normal lawmen have silver badges... only the elite have gold and there are only six elite and they all have worldwide jurisdiction... Meaning...!__ Marty knew he was finished if this guy got out of town and to went to Fort Tristan. "Guys! We have ta kill this kid now or we'll all be goin' to jail!"

"How do you propose to do that?! He's got an ARM pointed at us!" one of the men asked.

Surprisingly, Rudy put Prism Laser away at his side, "What ARM?" he said innocently as he cracked his knuckles. "Now it's fair."

The six men just leered and laughed at him as they surrounded him. "Kid, you just made the biggest mistake of ya whole life," Marty sneered as he knew whoever this kid was, Elite or not, when it was six to one, the guy who was out numbered always lost.

All Rudy could do was smirk.

* * *

A mother was taking her little girl home through the dusty streets of Surf. She always hated having to past the Sheriff's station. She wished there would be some honest lawmen.

"Ahhhhhh--!" 

The mother held her child tightly as she looked on and saw Sheriff Marty being thrown through the window of his office, laying motionless on the ground.

"What in the world?!" the mother exclaimed as she saw a shadow rushing toward the other window and moved away quickly. She did so just in time to see one of the deputies get thrown out through the window. 

After that, people in the street started to notice the commotion and started telling others in town as they started to get to the Sheriff's office to see what was happening.

* * *

"No way! We out number him! He should be dead!" one of the deputies spat as he tried to attack Rudy from behind with a punch, but Rudy ducked under it, grabbed his arm and threw him over his shoulder and into one of the thugs that worked for Butch. Both lay motionless on the floor of the station.

_*BANG!*_

Rudy moved out of the way of the shot as he saw the last deputy had found another ARM and had it aimed at him.

"It's over now, hot shot," The man sneered as he held his ARM firm and aimed at Rudy.

"... yes, it is," Rudy spoke. Suddenly, a red light beam appeared and it was aimed at the deputy who just stared at this.

"Huh?" the deputy asked. He looked forward again and saw Rudy right in front of his face... and a sword blade only a few centimeters away from his face. The deputy was scared witless, giving Rudy the chance to nail him in a very private part of the human anatomy. He gave him a right cross to the head and sent him to the ground. 

Rudy turned around and saw the last man in the room was the only other member of Butch's gang that had been sent to meet the Sheriff. Rudy narrowed his eyes at him and spoke in a low voice, "Tell your boss his reign in this town is over."

The thug turned and ran out of there like a bat straight out of hell. Rudy knew he would go to Butch... just like he planned. 

When he walked outside though, he didn't expect to see almost everyone in town out there. Some of them tying up the sheriff and his men, some were just extremely overjoyed. Rudy even saw a few men with small-caliber ARMs as if they had found the courage to stand up for themselves. ****

"There he is! The kid with the Sheriff's Star!" Rudy noticed the Bartender from the saloon as the one who said that. 

"He's an Elite?! He's kind o' young, ya think?" someone said.

Rudy decided to go back over to the bartender, "Do you happen to know where they might have taken that girl? She wasn't in the jail cells."

"She'd be in basement of Butch's home... but with that guy escaping he'll now have his front door totally surrounded." 

"Is there a cellar entrance?" Rudy asked.

"Yes, there is, but he's got it chained up," the bartender explained, "There's no way to get it open without a key."

Rudy just smiled as he looked around and saw the perfect starting point for his second stage. Going into his vest, he was searching it for something. He found that he still had three of them left. __Been a while since I used these.__

* * *

"WHAT?! What are you telling me?!" Butch screamed as he held the man that had escaped from Rudy by his throat.

"There's... an Elite here boss... we ... we should get out of here... he's... he's strong... really..."

With a scream of rage, Butch Kane threw the man down to the floor and pulled out his handgun ARM.

_*BANG!*_

Butch's men stared in shock as their boss put a bullet through the survivor's eyes. Even Margaret couldn't believe it. When Butch saw no one was moving, he started barking out orders, "What are you all staring at?! Guard the front door, you idiots! It's the only way in! I want this Elite brought down and then I'll hang him in front of everyone! No one crosses Butch Kane... No one!"

Margaret meanwhile, was having other thoughts, __Hmm... maybe I should prepare to make a way to make a deal with this Elite. I cut a nice deal and maybe I'll get something... maybe I can even offer my...services to him. I mean who couldn't use someone like me?__

* * *

Rudy was now sitting on a rooftop several houses away. He had to plan this just right and first off he needed to use his Bayonet for the first phase of his plan. After that, he'd have to use his other tools to get the job done.

__Probably will only have a window of only a minute or two. Better make this count.__ Rudy decided. Taking a breath, he inserted the MultiBlast shell into the ARM, aimed high and then let it fire.

It was about to rain fire.

* * *

As if the pandemonium in Butch's compound was bad enough, when the whistling sound of a shell falling out of the sky was heard, and then the ensuing impact, it seemed as if all hell had broken loose.

_*BOOM!*_

"What was that!" Margaret shouted.

"It's a MultiBlast Shell! Someone used a Bayonet from far away. He's better than I thought..." Butch growled. __But that will make my killing him that much sweeter.__

_*BOOM!*_

This time, the foundation of the building shook.

"Argh! That one actually felt like it hit this house!" Margaret complained. "Can't you do something!?" 

"Shut up!" Butch snapped at her, "I have to worry about this guy first! Make no mistake... He will die!" 

* * *

In the cellar below, only one guard was assigned to watch Dianna. She saw the door open and saw the guard have a look of lust on his face. He had his ARM out and was aiming it at her.

"Time for some fun. You're gonna be my little play thing tonight," he sneered.

"I think... NOT!" she cried as she gave him a low blow, making him wobble back to the door.

"Why you little brat!" the guard growled, "Now I'm going to..."

"Go to sleep."

"Huh?" the thug blinked before he got a chop to the neck, knocking him out cold. 

"What the..." Dianna blinked as she saw a blue haired young man walk in. 

"Are you Dianna Stampede?" he asked.

The 17 year old blonde haired girl may have been dressed in rags, had been beaten badly, but there was a fire in her eyes and a beauty that would not die. "I am... and you are?"

"Rudy Roughnight," he then threw to her a clean pair of clothes (which were a pair of blue pants and a red shirt) and the Black Feral.

Dianna gasped when she saw the ancient weapon. Her mouth agape as she ran her hands over it, "My father's sword..." 

"You do practice the Fast Draw style right?"

Dianna stared wide eyed at Rudy when he said that, "How could you..." she saw him pull out his own sword. "Do you..."

"No. I'm not a Fast Draw practitioner," Rudy told her. "ARMs are my specialty but I also am good with a sword." 

"An ARMs user who also uses a sword... I didn't think such a person existed in this world..." Dianna stated, finding herself intrigued by her mysterious rescuer.

"Well you aren't looking that well being in this jail cell," Rudy returned, "So how about you get changed so you can help me out with getting rid of this Butch Kane?"

"You mean..." Dianna stared at Rudy even more seeing how casual he spoke of fighting against that monster.

"Yeah. So get dressed," Rudy said but suddenly got kicked to the ground by Dianna. Getting back on his feet, he looked at her and said, "Hey! What was that--"

_*SLAP!*_

"Don't you know not to look at a lady when she's changing?" Dianna snapped.

Rudy slapped his hand over his head as he turned away from her and sat down. __Okay... did Jack and Cecilia have an affair or something? Cause I have to say this girl is as stubborn as both of them combined.__

"By the way," Dianna asked as she was changing, "How did you get in here?"

"Through the cellar entrance," Rudy said casually. He heard the sounds of changing very quickly until he saw her in his face.

"But that entrance was chained up! How did get through it?!"

Rudy smirked as he held up one of his tools. "I blew it up with a bomb."

* * *

"What the hell is going on here... he attacked the front of the house... why isn't he coming?" Butch asked. By now he had gotten some people to help in watching the interior of the house.

"Maybe we should think of leaving boss," one of the men said.

"Shut up! The last thing I am going to do is give up this gold mine I have had for the last five years! It's easy living for me! Always!"

"Then you're about to get a rude awakening."

Butch looked to the cellar stairway and saw Rudy. "You! You're the one behind all this trouble!"

"Actually, you are since the day you took this town over. By the way, if I were you I would look outside or just listen," Rudy growled as he finally got to see the evil Butch Kane and liked him even less than he liked Janus Cascade. If all Drifters were just like what he had seen, he really felt pity for the planet. Even the worst Dream Chasers he had ever encountered during his time had better morals than the Drifters he had seen in the Surf of the Future.

Everyone just stopped and heard the sounds of people screaming. 'We're done being afraid!' 'This is our town and we won't let you ruin our lives any more!'

"No!" Butch shouted. "They can't do this! I am the law! I am the master!" 

"You are the master of nothing," Rudy told him flat out.

"Arrogant whelp! I am Butch Kane! One of the baddest Drifters in Filgaia!" 

Rudy narrowed his eyes at Butch, the look making Kane move back just a little bit as he felt uncomfortable by Rudy's stare, "And as I told Janus Cascade when sent him packing, that means absolutely nothing to a Dream Chaser."

_"Kane!"_

"What?!" Butch gasped as he saw Dianna appear from behind Rudy, her face in rage and hate with her father's ebony sword drawn.

"Dianna!" Margaret cried as she saw her charging like a woman possessed.

"This ends once and for all! _Sonic...Blade!"_ Dianna screamed as she unleashed her Fast Draw attack. Running her hand across the blade, a yellow glowing energy began to emanate from where her hand had been. Raising the blade above her head, she brought it down for a slash, creating a shockwave of energy that struck all of Butch's guards, and even him as well. ****

Butch cried out in pain as he fell to the ground. He started to get up looking for her, _"Where are you, you little bitch?! I'm gonna kill you!"_

She didn't give him the chance to. Apparently, while he had been stunned she had maneuvered herself behind him.

_"Psycho Crack!"_

Butch turned around just in time to see Dianna's blade slice him across the chest. As the blade made contact with him, there was a blinding flash of light, causing a temporary state of mental overload/confusion for Butch, as was the nature of the attack.

_"This is for my father!"_ Dianna screamed as she raised the Black Feral to deliver the killing blow to Butch, but then Margaret got in-between her daughter and the man she despised. 

"Dianna! I demand you stop this! I am your mother!" Margaret soon found herself at her daughter's blade.

"My mother died a long time ago... because my mother would have _never_ allowed that monster to beat me black and blue for two whole _years_!" Dianna spat, she felt nothing for the woman before her except disgust and hate. She wanted her dead, she wanted to take her head and the head of her father's killer. Her eyes took on a demonic form as she raised the blade above her head once more. _"NOW DIE!"_ she swung her sword down with the intent to take their lives.

_*CLANG!*_

"No."

"Huh?" Dianna blinked, being brought back to reality as she looked and saw that her blade had been intercepted by another sword. Rudy's.

"No killing," Rudy told her firmly.

"They deserve to die," Dianna growled. "You have no idea what they've done to me!"

"Maybe they do deserve death, but we aren't the ones that will do it," Rudy replied calmly, "The people in town are no longer afraid of them. Let the townsfolk decide what to do with them."

"They hurt me..." Dianna cried as she felt all of her emotions coming to the surface, making her choices harder to make.

"If you kill them, you'll be no better than them," Rudy told her, "Maybe Drifters can live with themselves for killing, but I'm a Dream Chaser and I can't allow killing of another human being..." He narrowed his eyes at them both, "Even if they are scum."

"Dianna... please... I am your mother..." the woman pleaded but Dianna grabbed her by the throat.

"My mother is dead..._and you have no daughter!"_ Dianna screamed as she grabbed her, throwing her against the wall. The impact caused the woman to fall unconscious. It was only then that Dianna allowed herself to break down in tears and used Rudy to cry on.

And all Rudy could do was just stare and just allow her to cry while he himself felt very strange about the whole thing. "It's okay... it's okay Dianna. It's over."

* * *

A short while later, Rudy and Dianna looked on at a wagon that was taking Butch, Margaret, Marty and their accomplices to Fort Tristan to be judged by a tribunal and to be sentenced. With the evidence and the people going with them to make their case, they would be behind bars for the rest of their natural lives.

"So where do you go from here?" Dianna asked her and the village's savior.

"Well, I have to make my way to Jolly Roger. I got lost on the way there. That's how I found this place again." Rudy sighed.

"Again? You've been to Surf before?"

"A long time ago."

"Before that monster?"

"_Long_ before that monster," Rudy smirked. "What are you going to do?"

"Be free. I want to roam Filgaia like my father did before he settled down. I want to find my place in this world," Dianna answered, "But I don't want to be a Drifter."

"Then be a Dream Chaser," Rudy smiled. At her stare he replied, "It means person who chases his or her dreams."

"Dream Chaser... I like the sound of it," Dianna smiled back at the blue haired teen, "Say Rudy..."

"You want to know if you can come with me for a while," Rudy said surprising her. Looking at her, he smiled, "To be honest, I hope that is what you were going to ask. I'd like to have you around."

"Really?" 

The blue haired hero nodded. "I think I might be able to help you out learn a few more Fast Draw techniques." 

"But I thought you said you don't practice Fast Draw," Dianna questioned.

"I had a friend who knew the style," Rudy said truthfully. __I don't know all of Jack's tricks but I know a few of the hints he had to see and hear in order to come up with some of his other techniques. I don't know if she'll be able to duplicate them, but she knows the Psycho Crack and Sonic Blade attacks so that's gotta count for something.__

"Rudy... you okay?" Dianna asked.

Rudy shook his head out of his reverie as he looked at her. "Um yeah... anyway, Mike the Bartender said he'd put us up for the night. It's too dark to go traveling now so we'll do that in the morning."

"So long as we don't stay in that house for the evening, I don't care where we stay," Dianna said.

"Well then let's go check in and get some sleep. We're going to be waking up early." Rudy replied.

"You go ahead," Dianna told him. "I just want to see the stars for a moment." 

Rudy looked up at the stars and smiled. __Hey Jack, if you are looking down at me, be proud of this girl. She'll be going far.__

As Rudy went into the Saloon, Dianna looked up at the stars, fingering the Sword Rune that she wore around her neck. __Hey Daddy... I'm free... we got the monster... rest in peace. I love you Daddy._ _

* * *

At the caravan that was holding Butch, Margaret, Marty and his friends they all wondered about their fate and how they were going to get out of this mess. Suddenly they felt the carriage stop and they saw guards fall down.

"What's going on?" Butch asked, wondering what had just happened.

"I would like to know that."

They froze when hearing the cold female voice as they saw a hooded figure walk toward them. 

"Miss Vilente," Butch breathed a sigh of relief.

"Thank goodness its you! Please get us out of here!" Margaret pleaded.

"What has happened at Surf Village?" Miss Vilente asked.

"What do you think since we have been carted off like criminals?! How did we ever expect an Elite to come near us!? We made it as if Surf never existed for the last couple of years! It's all his fault we are in this jam!" Marty fumed.

"His fault?" Miss Vilente inquired.

"Yeah! That stinking Sheriff Star, ARM using, blue haired punk!" Marty hissed. "It was a fluke! Just a freak accident!"

"Yes... a freak accident... like the freak accident that is about to happen here..." The hooded woman said emotionlessly.

Everyone suddenly became fearful. "You... you wouldn't..." Butch gasped.****

"You knew the rules Butch... and you have lost," Miss Vilente said emotionlessly as she snapped her fingers.

Suddenly the entire carriage erupted into flames. It was all consuming, killing everyone inside. She watched them die, hearing their screams of pain and agony before walking away. As she did, she saw the sleeping bodies of the people from Surf sleeping peacefully thanks to her. Leehalt's orders were to tie up all loose ends. No one would miss Butch and his friends after what they did. The people that were escorting them to be brought to justice were another matter. They would live another day.

After a while she pulled out a circular device and spoke into it, "They are dead."

_"And the one that stopped them. Did they tell you anything Melody?"_

"Blue hair. ARM user. Sheriff Star," Melody Vilente reported. "I would say your theory about this 'Dream Chaser's identity is looking very plausible, though I don't know how he could have lived for 2000 years."

_"It doesn't matter to me. Just this sign is more than enough for me. Return back to the Library."_

"You don't want me to look for him Leehalt?" Melody questioned.

_"No. Now get back here."_ With that Leehalt severed the connection.

"... I hate it when he does that." Melody muttered. 

* * *

Leehalt sat in his chair pondering over what he had learned. Surf Village had been something of a project, using Butch Kane had gotten him the services of Janus Cascade and the last few years those two had brought him pleasant results for what he asked.

Until now.

__If it really is him then our plans could very well be interrupted... but I must know for sure.__ Leehalt mused. Suddenly he heard the door open.

"You asked for me?" a male voice asked. Leehalt looked up and at the figure that had entered his chambers, "Yes I have assignment for you."

"Why not pass it off to our errand boy Janus?" the male voice questioned.

"Because I have Janus on a seven day deadline to find at least one of the three shields that seal the Eternal Sparkle, and second..." Leehalt's eyes narrowed as he looked at the man. "The man I want you test beat Janus _easily_."

The man's lips formed into a smirk. "So I am assume this one will actually be a challenge... perfect."

_To Be Continued..._

_Author's Note: This goes out to my readers. Rudy's going to be meeting up another descendent of a Wild Arms character. Who do you think it should be or think it will end up being? Your input matters to me. Also who do you think is the man that Leehalt is ordering to target Rudy. You can guess but you'll find out the answer to that question in Chapter Four, which will hopefully be out by the end of the month. Feel free to review or email me at ericpaladin@hotmail.com._  ****


	4. Dreams of Things to Come

**_Disclaimer:_**_ I do not own Wild Arms. This is the first in my series that will tie all of the games together. If you want to contact me you can email me at ericpaladin@hotmail.com_

**Full Circle  
By David Knight**

**Chapter 4: Dreams of Things to Come**

_What can one learn in the time of when one does not act but merely sleep? What could one person possibly have in their mind that could be seen from their dreams?_

_The answer to that... all depends on whom you are talking about._

* * *

Dianna looked on at Rudy sleeping on one of the beds in the room they had been given to sleep in this night. She would be glad to get out of the town tomorrow. Tomorrow she would start her days as a free spirit again. Tomorrow she would learn to be what Rudy was; A Dream Chaser.

__Speaking of Dreams... I need to sleep.__ She mused as she laid down on the soft, comfortable bed, a comfort she had not had in so very long. Wrapping the covers around herself, she soon passed into sleep.

* * *

As she dreamt she found herself in a mountainous area looking over a town.

"Hiayah!"

__What?__ Dianna flinched when she heard the voice. She walked calmly out to where she heard the sound. What she saw made her gasp.

It was man in his early forties with blonde hair, wearing a white shirt under a gray jacket and blue pants. He had the Black Feral in his hands. Beside him was a young 13-year-old blonde haired girl holding a practice sword in her hands, trying to stay steady.

"Come on Dianna. You're trying a little too hard and don't you think this technique is a little too advanced for you right now," the man said kindly to her.

"No way! I want to best Fast Draw User in Filgaia just like you Daddy!" she chirped.

"... daddy..." Dianna cried as she watched this scene. This was on her thirteenth birthday. She had begged him to take her up into the mountains and to learn some Fast Draw techniques as her birthday present.

The image of Alex Stampede chucked at the younger Dianna, "I hope you will, sweetheart. But you have to know something, you can't just try to learn the most dangerous moves before you know the basics." 

"But I want to know the best!" little Dianna said. 

The next thing she knew as that her father was staring her down very sternly. "You must learn the basics first Dianna! If you do not you could get yourself killed! Do you understand me?"

"... yes daddy." little Dianna said.

"Daddy..." Dianna muttered softly as she watched her father helping the younger version of herself with swordsmanship. She wanted to go out and touch him, but soon the images of her father and her younger self vanished. She fell to her knees and cried, missing her father ever so much.

Suddenly, she felt warmth all over her, as well as arms around her; "I thought I told you not to cry so much." a male voice spoke from behind her.

Dianna whirled around and saw the scenery had changed from that day in the past to what the mountains looked like now in the present, colder and more dangerous.

And there holding her was the man that she missed so much, "How have you been sweetheart?"

"Daddy!" Dianna sobbed as she hugged him for all he was worth, she just felt him holding her tightly and she just stayed that way for a while before looking up, "Daddy... I miss you... I just wish you weren't just a dream. That you really were here."

"We are here together Dianna. Here on this place of existence, we are able to talk together." Alex Stampede said softly, his voice and tone snapping Dianna out of her stupor, her eyes wide.

"D...daddy?" she asked looking at him, "This... this isn't... you aren't a dream? You aren't dead?"

Alex shook his head as he got up and helped Dianna up as well. "This is a dream but I am not a dream. And yes... I am dead."

"But then... how... how can we even be talking?" Dianna asked.

"Filgaia works in mysterious ways sweetheart," Alex replied as he picked up a rock from the ground with his right hand. Suddenly Dianna saw the scenery change once more, but it was nothing like she had seen before. 

The entire ground had some thing green coming out of it and it was covering everything. There was a lake right in front of them and there were a few large trees also in the area. "What... what is this place?"

"Jericho Valley, its where I grew up when I was a sprout like you," Alex said as he threw the stone over the lake.

"It's beautiful..." Dianna gasped in awe, "I've never seen anything like it."

"It doesn't exist any more." Alex sighed. 

"What?" Dianna asked. 

"It was destroyed, everything wiped out and made into this," Alex waved his hand and everything turned into a brown desert. It made Dianna sick to her stomach to know this.

"Why... why would anyone want to turn that... that beautiful place into this?!" Dianna wanted to know.

"Those that want to bring back the dark times," Alex answered, "The times of the Demons and of the Blaze of Destruction." 

"Demons? Blaze of Destruction?" Dianna blinked, "Daddy what do you mean?"

"Listen to me. I don't know if I'll ever be able to talk to you through the Dreamscape again and if I can it won't be for a long time," Alex started to say and when he saw his daughter about to speak he held his hand up. "No questions. Just listen. Okay?" when she nodded he spoke again, "Humans that become drunk with the thought of obtaining power that they have no right too can do terrible things. It has happened in the past, it's helped cause the decay of Filgaia. Now its happening again, a group of people are trying to bring back the dark times to obtain power that should remain sealed away for all of time."

"What do you want me to do?" Dianna asked. "Daddy what do you want me to do?"

"As a father, I might say run, hide and find a place to stay safe, especially after what I have been forced to see you go through for the last two years from where I am.," Alex stated, "And don't get me wrong, its a wonderful place, but its not your time yet and I don't want to see you here until you've managed to have a couple of sprouts of your own."

"Me?" Dianna snorted. "Married and made into an old maid. That'll be the day."

"Your grandma said that's what she used to say before she met your grandpa." Alex chuckled. "If you ever make it to Boot Hill, you might be able to find them."

"My grandparents?" Dianna whispered in disbelief, "They... they are alive?"

"Ma will be able to tell you and your friend more about what she knows about what is heading for the planet," Alex replied, "I do envy you Dianna."

"Why is that Daddy?" Dianna asked.

"Why?" Alex shook his head in disbelief, "... nah. That will be Rudy's story to tell you when he's ready. He's been through a bit of his own hell Dianna. Watch each other's backs if you want to stay safe."

"I think we have that covered daddy," Dianna smiled but it dropped when she saw her father take out his sword and suddenly there was a monster coming at them both. He rushed it and then attacked it with an overhead strike in which there was an explosion of fire when the blade connected and the monster died. 

"You did see that didn't you sweetheart?" Alex asked her. Dianna nodded. "Good, now show me."

_"Grrraaahhh--!" _

Dianna turned around to see another monster coming right at her. This time, she felt the Black Feral in her hands. She executed the attack exactly the same way her father had, killing the monster with one blow. She was surprised, to say the least. "I... I did it... on the first try!"

"You have gotten a lot better sweetheart," Alex said proudly. "Its called Meteor Dive. It should come in handy. Remember, the art of the Fast Draw is to learn from everything around you. You can always learn a new trick and in this world, you will need every trick you can get."

"Yes daddy," Dianna nodded but then asked, "... how much longer until..."

"Until you wake up. Then who knows." Alex said as he put his arms around her.

"Daddy... can we just be together then... even if it's for a little while." Dianna asked.

"Sure thing, sweetheart," Alex replied softly.

"But in that valley, please, instead of this terrible place." Dianna looked at him.

Alex chuckled at that, "Of course." He said as the scenery now changed into Jericho Valley once again. Alex held his daughter tight once again, "I love you Dianna."

"I love you daddy," Dianna smiled, knowing that even though it was just for one night, it would be worth it just to be with her father this one night in her dreams.

* * *

Meanwhile, someone else was having dreams of his own.

"Okay... this weird..." Rudy muttered as he took into his surroundings, he was on the outskirts of a city, just not sure where exactly because of all of this darkness that was around him. "I don't get this. One minute I'm sleeping in bed and now I'm some else in the middle of the night lost in the dark. Just what is going on." Rudy muttered.

"Geez, you really can't take dramatics at all?"

Rudy froze when he heard that voice. The tones and pitches of it were unmistakable to him. In front of him the darkness was now fading gradually and he could see a building that he recognized very well. 

"The Maxwell Orphanage at Court Seim," Rudy breathed. He turned around to face a woman in white clothes with two pistols at her side. Long, full blonde hair that cascaded to the small of her back with two blue eyes staring right at him. "... Jane?"

"Its Calamity Jane," she stressed, "Geez, Rudy. Being out of the living and the dead for over 2000 years really screw up with your memories."

"No, I remember you just fine," Rudy sighed, though a smirk formed his face, "Jane Marie Maxwell."

"_Rudy!_" Jane screamed as she pulled out her two ARMs and fired at them at Rudy, who had to dodge before getting hit by them, "I told you NEVER to call me by that name ever!"

"Well it's definitely you Jane," Rudy smiled as he was hiding behind a building, "Only the real Calamity Jane would have reacted like that to being called her real name."

Jane growled, but relented as she put her ARMs away. When Rudy heard that, he walked out of his hiding place. "I guess I was wrong. You actually developed some sort of sense of humor while you were out. Twisted though."

"So what is this?" Rudy asked. "I mean... I know you are..."

"Dead?" Jane supplied, "Yeah. Been dead for nearly 2000 years now Rudy." 

"So unless this is all one really bad illusion, can you tell me just where we are?" Rudy asked.

"Dreamscape." At Rudy's stare, she said, "Place of dreams." Still no response from him, "Place were people dream and all of their images come into place. Kind of like the astral plane!"

"... I don't remember much of anything that I ever dream." Rudy lowered his head, "Only 'dreams' I remember are nightmares and when I have those, I wake up screaming in the night."

"...oh," Jane sighed.

"I thought I would have one tonight," Rudy said softly, "About Lord Blazer. Of him killing Jack and Cecilia, just like Luceid told me he did."

"I didn't like the monster much either," Jane muttered as she took a seat on a bench that just appeared out of nowhere. "You want to know what the Stampede line still exists." Rudy nodded, "It was because Jack asked me to take his kids and go into hiding. He went after Lord Blazer after he killed his wife." Jane lowered her head, "He didn't make it Rudy."

Rudy slammed his fist against the wall of a building, even hearing it 2000 years after it happened was still enough to make him angry... and ashamed that he couldn't have done something then to help save anyone.

"We lost a lot of good people back during the Days of Disaster. It kept going until the Sword Magess killed him." Jane said.

"Sword Magess?"

"A young girl with the Guardian Blade and Luceid, though she was called Lucied then and get this Rudy," Jane smirked, "She turned to a he."

It took Rudy about five minutes to comprehend that but when he did he broke out in laughter, "Luceid... making herself into a guy?! Oh that is too much!" 

"Yeah I know," Jane agreed. She watched Rudy calm down and his face was calm, though there was a half smile on his face. "What?"

"Thank you... for doing what I couldn't."

"And what might that be?" Jane asked.

"Save lives." Rudy replied sadly as he leaned up against the wall of a building.

"Rudy," Jane sighed as she got up, "There was nothing you could have done at all. Blazer beat the snot out of you in your first confrontation. It just...wasn't your destiny to win that battle."

"And just because of that, people had to die?" Rudy challenged, "How fair is that!"

"Life is never fair. People would have died regardless of your being there at that fight. You can't change the past no matter much you might want to Rudy," Jane replied, "But then again that's why I am here. To remind you of that and to remind you that there was a reason why you survived and why you are here now in this time. You are here to save Filgaia."

"How can I save it if the threat is worse than Lord Blazer ever was?" Rudy asked when not facing her. 

"Alone you can't. But you are going to have the same thing that happened to you before happen again." Jane said with a knowing smirk.

"And what is that?" Rudy asked.

"Run into people that you will find have a similar path to you.," Jane said. 

"Like who?" Rudy turned around to face Jane but to his surprise she was gone. "Jane? Jane! Calamity!" Not getting any response at all, Rudy decided to call her by one of her hated names, "Ms Maxwell!"

"Who are you?"

Rudy froze when hearing a different voice, a female one but it was of a lighter and gentler voice. "Who is that?"

"You call out my name and you don't even know," the voice replied, "And I have to say this is the weirdest dream I have ever had." Rudy could hear her sigh, "Geez, Janus must have gotten to me harder than I thought."

"Janus?" Rudy blinked, "Janus Cascade?"

"You know him?" the female asked.

"Unfortunately," Rudy growled, " The bastard nearly tried to kill all of the people at Baskar Village looking for the Guardians."

"He _what?!_" the woman exclaimed. "That... that's... that's inhuman! I already know he's one of the bad guys... but I didn't think he was that low!"

"Hold on. You've been to Baskar?" Rudy asked.

"Yes and one of the three men in my group was born in Baskar."

__No... way...__ Rudy turned around to face the woman who was speaking, and found himself staring at girl who looked only a few years than he did. He couldn't make out the clothes, but he saw chestnut brown hair tied up into a braid and two sapphire eyes staring right back at him.

And that's when the light came.

* * *

"Ngh!" Rudy gasped as he woke up, sitting up straight on his bed. He turned around to look at Dianna, who was still sleeping soundly in her bed. He didn't want to wake her up, so he got out of the room quietly and went out to look at the stars.

He always enjoyed looking out underneath them. When he sat under them, he would think of pleasant thoughts and ideas. That was his idea of dreaming.

But tonight was different. He hadn't had a nightmare. If he had, he would have been screaming until someone woke him up. More than once had he had a nightmare attack, and either Jack, Cecilia or even Hanpan had to forcibly wake Rudy up from his nightmare.

__But tonight... why did I dream of Jane... and that girl?_ _Rudy shook his head as he thought about the chestnut-haired girl with sapphire eyes. He didn't want to think about her that much, but he couldn't help himself. There was something about her, something that he couldn't explain. 

The fact that she had a run in with Janus and that she had come out of Baskar with three other men, one of which happened to have been born there told Rudy that she couldn't be a bad person. At least according to what this dream of his had shown. __A dream... you think it would be less confusing than a nightmare?__ Rudy mused as his face had a slight smile on it.

Either way, he was glad to have heard from Jane, even if it was from beyond the grave. And who knew, maybe he'd see others that he knew from the past in his dreams. Who knew what a Holmcross could do with their dreams.

Rudy decided he would stay out under the stars though for a while. Just to enjoy them and just to think. Think about the future, about what to do to save Filgaia.

About the chestnut-haired girl with sapphire eyes.

* * *

She couldn't stop thinking about him.

__That boy... dark blue eyes and hair to match...__ the woman from the dream mused as she sat on her bed in the inn. Her companions were sleeping in other rooms and she felt it unnecessary to wake them. She looked out her window and into the night sky. She loved the stars. She had seen them with her mother and father many times when they were alive.

Yet tonight when she looked at them, all she could see was the young man in red, with dark blue hair and eyes.

__I thought he was Janus when I saw him through the mist. I felt like pulling out my ARMs until I heard him call out my name... how did he know my name?__ the young girl asked herself. She tried not to think about him, but she couldn't. It just came back to him. __And those eyes. When I saw those eyes, it looked like... I don't know... it just felt... very strange to me.__

Looking up over the stars, she asked the heavens to help her, give her guidance as she thought about the young man. __I don't think he's a bad person. I mean anyone who hates Janus that much must definitely be a good guy,__ she giggled a little bit at her own personal joke and shrugged. __Why am I worrying so much over a dream anyway. I mean he isn't real at all._ _

Taking another look at the stars, she shook her head as if to correct herself. __Yes he is... you just don't know who he is or why you've seen him. You always get like this some times. Seeing things you shouldn't see. Kind of like how you felt meeting Clive, Gallows and Jet was all some sort of predestined deal.__

When she saw the position of the moon in the sky, she realized dawn would only be a few hours away and it would be better to get some sleep. "Come on Virginia Maxwell, you better go back to sleep so you can be ready to get moving tomorrow. You are going to need the rest if you want to get a move on to stop Janus from getting another shield."

Doing that just that, Virginia went back into bed and pulled the covers on over her body.

But even as she went back to sleep, she could not stop thinking about the blue-haired boy with dark blue eyes.

Wondering who he was.

_To Be Continued..._

Author's Note: I bet everyone is glad that I decided to update after nearly two months. Well I have to say that personal problems got into the way and they had to come first. I won't bore you with the details and just say my life is a lot less hectic now than it was when I last updated this story. I also know that I said I would have a battle in the fourth chapter but after going back over the rest of the story, I realized I needed something in between to tie some things up and develop some character into Dianna as well as give Rudy some growth other than just fighting the bad guys. Anyway, Chapter Five will have the battle between Rudy & Dianna versus Leehalt's lackey. Also, Rudy's last member will be introduced and we will be nearing the final stretches of the First Arc of Full Circle, which would be about two to three more chapters depending on what gets written in those chapters. I will say it will climax with, as some of the reviews have thought, Rudy's team and Virginia's team meeting face to face, though you have seen Rudy and Virginia meet in this chapter... sorta. Well anyway hope this ties everyone over for a while. I make no promises on the time of when Chapter Five will get posted, just all depends on the time that I have. Until next time, take care and I hope you enjoyed this chapter.


	5. Non Chapter: Voices of Full Circle

_Author's note: Well this isn't a chapter update. More like a telling who plays what in my grand story thus far. For the six main characters that have made an appearance and will continue to make appearances through out the story, they have been given voice actors or actresses. See when I write a story, I happen to think of the voice of anime characters that I know of to play the part of the character I am writing about. Everyone has a certain way of writing, this happens to be mine._

_In any event here is the list thus far and you may notice that there are characters listed that do not have anyone listed playing them. That's because if anyone happens to watch any anime or has an opinion who you think is best suited to play a role of a character who does not have a listing yet, or if you feel there is someone more deserving of a role that has already been cast, feel free to drop off your suggestions. Until the next time, see ya around._

**Character****                               Actor/Actress                         Most Notable Roles**

Rudy Roughknight                    Mark Hildreth                           Heero Yuy (Gundam Wing)  
                                                                                                Terry Bogard (Fatal Fury)

Dianna Stampede                     Julie Maddalena                        Hikaru Shidou (Magic Knight Rayearth)

Virginia Maxwell                       Amanda Winn Lee                    Rei Ayanami (Neon Genesis Evangelion)  
                                                                                                Momiji Fujimiya (Blue Seed)****

Clive Winslett                           

Jet Enduro                                

Gallows Caradine

Janus Cascade                          Matt Hill                                   Laocorn Guadeamus (Fatal Fury)  
                                                                                                Ryo (Ronin Warriors)

Malik Benedict

Melody Vilente                         Sue Ulu                                    Ritsuko Akagi (Neon Genesis Evangelion) ****

Leehalt Alcelete                        Ward Perry                              Geese Howard (Fatal Fury)


End file.
